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currents
. ■
Vol. 16, No. 2
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY UNIVERSITY RELATIONS FOR THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
November 1, 2005
Iraq correspondent
offers grim take on war
before capacity crowd
Page 3
Irish storyteller joins
UCSC Orchestra
November 4,5
Page 4
The Ardent Birder'
takes wing among
campus publications
Page 6
Women's Center
celebrates its
20th anniversary
Page 7
One of many public events leading up to the investiture, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on October 25 at the
Museum of Art & History in Santa Cruz. Chancellor Denice Denton, center, joins lecturer Rosa Apodaca, left, and
Assistant Professor Alma Martinez, who organized a variety of student presentations at the event.
Events celebrate investiture of Chancellor Denton
November 4 ceremony
will follow two-day academic
symposium on diversity
By Jim Burns
IPfe enice D. Denton will be
invested as the ninth chancel-
Kyif lor of UCSC in an afternoon
ceremony on Friday, November
4. Presided over by University of
California President Robert C.
Dynes, the public event will begin
at 1:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall at
the Music Center.
The investiture ceremony, expected to last less than an hour,
will follow a two-day academic
symposium that reflects Chancellor
Denton's commitment to have the
campus focus on academic priorities
in lieu of a formal inauguration.
The "Achieving Excellence
Through Diversity" symposium,
beginning on Thursday, November
3, launches three days of investiture activities that also include the
annual Scholarships Benefit Dinner
on Saturday, November 5.
The first day of the symposium
gets under way at 2:30 p.m. in
For more information go to
page 5 or to a special web site at:
celebration2005.ucsc.edu
the Media Theater. The symposium keynote speaker will be
Shirley Ann Jackson, president of
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Preceding her talk, Jackson will be
honored with the third UC Santa
Cruz Foundation Medal, an award
recognizing individuals whose
achievements illustrate the ideals
and vision of UCSC. Following
her talk, a discussion will take place
on the best practices for enhancing
diversity, access, and inclusion.
The symposium will continue
on Friday, November 4, at 8:30
a.m. at the University Center. The
second-day session, which ends at
noon, will feature three "breakout
sessions," including one in which
UC President Dynes will preview
a UC Faculty Diversity Study.
The other two are titled: "What is
Diversity? Thinking at the Edge"
and "Teaching to a Diverse Student
Body."
The two-day symposium is
expected to assist the campus in
developing a plan for enhancing
excellence. Both days of the
symposium are open to the public,
and at press time, seats were still
available. Online reservations are
recommended for the symposium.
Later on Friday, at the investiture in the Recital Hall, Dynes will
See Chancellor, back page
Chancellor urges
staff to spread
word about UCSC
By Jennifer McNulty
uring her first forum
of the academic year,
w Chancellor Denice D.
Denton praised the hard work
of staff and singled out move-
in weekend and Preview Day
as successful events that were
made possible by campus employees.
"I think staff are the heart
and soul of any organization,"
Denton told the crowd that
filled Oakes 105, announcing that 3.5 percent salary
increases for nonrepresented
staff will be reflected in
November 1 paychecks.
During extended remarks,
Denton highlighted some of
the campus's top distinctions
and lightheartedly encouraged
audience members to share
the campus's strengths during
"cocktail party" conversations.
"Word of mouth is part of
marketing, so I want each of
you to memorize at least one
of these distinctions and tell
your friends," she said, pro-
ceedine: ro olavfunv oui? the
audience about UCSC's standing in several fields, including
space sciences (#1), the impact
of social science research (#1),
the impact of arts and humanities research (#6), the impact
of physical science research
(#2), and the recent ninth-
place ranking globally of the
Economics Departments international finance program.
Getting the word out about
UCSC's excellence is key to
the campus's success in fund-
See Forum back page
Popular attraction not so mysterious after all, says psychology professor
By Jennifer McNulty
For years, UCSC psychology professor
Bruce Bridgeman has taken college students to the Mystery Spot, a popular local
tourist attraction, to demonstrate how the human brain works.
Tourists flock to the Mystery Spot to enjoy
the "puzzling variations in gravity, perspective,
height and more," leaving baffled and perplexed by the apparent exceptions to the laws
of physics and gravity.
But for Bridgeman, the site is a powerful—
and entertaining—way to demonstrate the
influence of the visual context on perception.
"It shows that you can teach serious science in
unexpected places," said Bridgeman, who has
published a scholarly article that explains the
perceptual effects at work at the Mystery Spot.
His article, "Influence of Visually Induced
Expectation on Perceived Motor Effort: A
Visual-Proprioceptive Interaction at the Santa
Cruz Mystery Spot," appeared in the June
issue of Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.
Mystery Spot visitors will recognize the
scene of Bridgeman's research: In a cabin on a
steep hillside, an 8 kilogram weight hangs on
a chain from the ceiling. Although the weight
hangs vertically, the tilt of the cabin makes the
weight appear to be suspended at an angle.
Visitors find that pushing the weight one way
is perceived as much more difficult than pushing it the other way.
Rather than a magical defiance of gravity, the explanation lies in the "mismatch"
between expectations and the actual weight:
Expectations based on visual information override the proprioceptive experience of moving
the weight. (Often referred to as the sixth
sense, proprioception is an unconscious aspect
of the sensory system that provides information essential to movement.)
Far from spoiling the fun, Bridgeman said
understanding the phenomenon adds to the
enjoyment of the Mystery Spot. "To me, it's
much more fun to have something that's real
than not," said Bridgeman. "The real fun is
that you can learn about how your mind works
in an interesting setting." Mystery Spot
See Mystery, back page
The perceptual effects at the Mystery Spot are the
subject of a scholarly article by psychology professor
Bruce Bridgeman.

currents
. ■
Vol. 16, No. 2
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY UNIVERSITY RELATIONS FOR THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
November 1, 2005
Iraq correspondent
offers grim take on war
before capacity crowd
Page 3
Irish storyteller joins
UCSC Orchestra
November 4,5
Page 4
The Ardent Birder'
takes wing among
campus publications
Page 6
Women's Center
celebrates its
20th anniversary
Page 7
One of many public events leading up to the investiture, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on October 25 at the
Museum of Art & History in Santa Cruz. Chancellor Denice Denton, center, joins lecturer Rosa Apodaca, left, and
Assistant Professor Alma Martinez, who organized a variety of student presentations at the event.
Events celebrate investiture of Chancellor Denton
November 4 ceremony
will follow two-day academic
symposium on diversity
By Jim Burns
IPfe enice D. Denton will be
invested as the ninth chancel-
Kyif lor of UCSC in an afternoon
ceremony on Friday, November
4. Presided over by University of
California President Robert C.
Dynes, the public event will begin
at 1:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall at
the Music Center.
The investiture ceremony, expected to last less than an hour,
will follow a two-day academic
symposium that reflects Chancellor
Denton's commitment to have the
campus focus on academic priorities
in lieu of a formal inauguration.
The "Achieving Excellence
Through Diversity" symposium,
beginning on Thursday, November
3, launches three days of investiture activities that also include the
annual Scholarships Benefit Dinner
on Saturday, November 5.
The first day of the symposium
gets under way at 2:30 p.m. in
For more information go to
page 5 or to a special web site at:
celebration2005.ucsc.edu
the Media Theater. The symposium keynote speaker will be
Shirley Ann Jackson, president of
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Preceding her talk, Jackson will be
honored with the third UC Santa
Cruz Foundation Medal, an award
recognizing individuals whose
achievements illustrate the ideals
and vision of UCSC. Following
her talk, a discussion will take place
on the best practices for enhancing
diversity, access, and inclusion.
The symposium will continue
on Friday, November 4, at 8:30
a.m. at the University Center. The
second-day session, which ends at
noon, will feature three "breakout
sessions," including one in which
UC President Dynes will preview
a UC Faculty Diversity Study.
The other two are titled: "What is
Diversity? Thinking at the Edge"
and "Teaching to a Diverse Student
Body."
The two-day symposium is
expected to assist the campus in
developing a plan for enhancing
excellence. Both days of the
symposium are open to the public,
and at press time, seats were still
available. Online reservations are
recommended for the symposium.
Later on Friday, at the investiture in the Recital Hall, Dynes will
See Chancellor, back page
Chancellor urges
staff to spread
word about UCSC
By Jennifer McNulty
uring her first forum
of the academic year,
w Chancellor Denice D.
Denton praised the hard work
of staff and singled out move-
in weekend and Preview Day
as successful events that were
made possible by campus employees.
"I think staff are the heart
and soul of any organization,"
Denton told the crowd that
filled Oakes 105, announcing that 3.5 percent salary
increases for nonrepresented
staff will be reflected in
November 1 paychecks.
During extended remarks,
Denton highlighted some of
the campus's top distinctions
and lightheartedly encouraged
audience members to share
the campus's strengths during
"cocktail party" conversations.
"Word of mouth is part of
marketing, so I want each of
you to memorize at least one
of these distinctions and tell
your friends," she said, pro-
ceedine: ro olavfunv oui? the
audience about UCSC's standing in several fields, including
space sciences (#1), the impact
of social science research (#1),
the impact of arts and humanities research (#6), the impact
of physical science research
(#2), and the recent ninth-
place ranking globally of the
Economics Departments international finance program.
Getting the word out about
UCSC's excellence is key to
the campus's success in fund-
See Forum back page
Popular attraction not so mysterious after all, says psychology professor
By Jennifer McNulty
For years, UCSC psychology professor
Bruce Bridgeman has taken college students to the Mystery Spot, a popular local
tourist attraction, to demonstrate how the human brain works.
Tourists flock to the Mystery Spot to enjoy
the "puzzling variations in gravity, perspective,
height and more," leaving baffled and perplexed by the apparent exceptions to the laws
of physics and gravity.
But for Bridgeman, the site is a powerful—
and entertaining—way to demonstrate the
influence of the visual context on perception.
"It shows that you can teach serious science in
unexpected places," said Bridgeman, who has
published a scholarly article that explains the
perceptual effects at work at the Mystery Spot.
His article, "Influence of Visually Induced
Expectation on Perceived Motor Effort: A
Visual-Proprioceptive Interaction at the Santa
Cruz Mystery Spot," appeared in the June
issue of Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.
Mystery Spot visitors will recognize the
scene of Bridgeman's research: In a cabin on a
steep hillside, an 8 kilogram weight hangs on
a chain from the ceiling. Although the weight
hangs vertically, the tilt of the cabin makes the
weight appear to be suspended at an angle.
Visitors find that pushing the weight one way
is perceived as much more difficult than pushing it the other way.
Rather than a magical defiance of gravity, the explanation lies in the "mismatch"
between expectations and the actual weight:
Expectations based on visual information override the proprioceptive experience of moving
the weight. (Often referred to as the sixth
sense, proprioception is an unconscious aspect
of the sensory system that provides information essential to movement.)
Far from spoiling the fun, Bridgeman said
understanding the phenomenon adds to the
enjoyment of the Mystery Spot. "To me, it's
much more fun to have something that's real
than not," said Bridgeman. "The real fun is
that you can learn about how your mind works
in an interesting setting." Mystery Spot
See Mystery, back page
The perceptual effects at the Mystery Spot are the
subject of a scholarly article by psychology professor
Bruce Bridgeman.